Monday, June 4

Sirenz by Charlotte Bennardo and Natalie Zaman

Meg and Shar are just your everyday frenemies, until a fight over a guy and a pair of shoes sends them into the clutches of Hades, Lord of the Underworld. To reclaim their freedom, they must set about becoming Hades’ sirens and lure a fashion mogul into Tartarus.

Gifted with enhanced feminine wiles, the job should be a breeze…if only the gods would stop interfering. From unwanted attention to serious consequences of using their siren charms, Shar and Meg have a lot of difficulties ahead of them.

Can they complete their mission and return to their normal lives or are they doomed to be Hades’ sirens for eternity?

This is a book I was quick to be interested in. Contemporary fiction incorporating Greek mythology in inventive ways grabs my attention.

The book is co-written, with Charlotte Bennardo narrating Shar and Natalie Zaman narrating Meg in alternating chapters. The two are polar opposites, Shar being more into fashion and Meg interested in music. This character dynamic set-up had the potential to be a disaster but in the hands of two skilled authors it was a brilliant success.

There is a wonderful wit to the novel and the way that Shar and Meg approach situations – albeit in different ways – was refreshing to read. Even when they were in conflict, it never leaned toward tedious bickering.

I related to Meg more at the beginning of the novel, despite the fact that I look horrible in black, am clueless about music and could never be swayed to the Vegetarian lifestyle. Shar’s interest in shoes and fashion could have been a huge turn-off for me and yet I found her to be the more sympathetic character in the novel. She definitely drew the short straw when it came to the disadvantages they faced in their siren pursuits.

Hades was an interesting antagonist. I liked that the depictions of the gods were very much true to the myths. They were power-mad and manipulative. It sometimes bordered on skin crawling. Brilliant!

I won a signed copy of ‘Sirenz’ from a twitter giveaway by @FluxBooks and was pretty chuffed by all the cute swag that came with it. It even included the two charms that Shar and Meg have in the book. Talk about fiction coming to life! ♥

‘Sirenz’ is a fabulous read and I cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel, ‘Sirenz Back in Fashion.’

In accordance with the FTC, Quill Café would like to disclose that the reviewer received this book from the publisher through a Twitter giveaway. The opinions expressed are hers alone and no monetary compensation was offered to her by the author or publisher. Cover art is copyright of Flux and is used solely as an aide to the review.